Apple keeps pushing the boundaries of
health-related technologies, and recently announced that Apple Watch and
AirPods Pro 2 will make a technological leap forward to aid millions of people
in finding ways to cope with sleep and auditory problems. Global health
concerns like such conditions meet their match only in the most Apple
way-through accessible, user-friendly technology.
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| Image: Apple |
Improving Sleep and Hearing Health with Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2
Apple's latest release has introduced
features to its products that extend their capabilities in health monitoring.
With the sleep apnea notifications on Apple Watch and the comprehensive hearing
health experience on AirPods Pro 2, the company boldly jumps into addressing
conditions affecting billions of people across the world.
Introducing a new metric, Breathing
Disturbances, Apple Watch uses advanced technology to identify early signs of
sleep apnea, often an undiagnosed condition. On the other hand, AirPods Pro 2
is dominating hearing health with active Hearing Protection, a clinical-grade
Hearing Test, and even the first ever software-based over-the-counter Hearing
Aid.
Sleep Apnea Notifications: New Ways to Keep Tabs on Sleep Health
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that
involves periodic breathing pauses during sleep. This, in turn, causes
deficiencies of oxygen, which further increases the risk of many health issues:
high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. More than 1 billion people in
the world suffer from this condition; however, a great number of them have no
idea that they actually have this disorder. But Apple Watch is going to change
this soon with its new feature.
The Breathing Disturbances metric in
Apple Watch works by using advanced motion sensors to detect even the slightest
movement of the wrist, associated with breathing disturbances during sleep. If
these disturbances reflect moderate to more serious sleep apnea, users are
notified to see a health professional for further evaluation. In fact, early
detection allows users the ability to take action before the condition worsens.
Along with notifications about sleep
apnea, Apple's Health application will give users the opportunity to view their
data on sleep, which will be categorized as "elevated" or "not
elevated" in order to provide insight into general sleep quality. Even
better, users will have the ability to export detailed reports-complete with
breathing disturbance data-with their health providers for a more informed
discussion.
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| Image: Apple |
That will be one of the most accurate
tools developed using advanced machine learning models and clinical-grade sleep
apnea tests. In one clinical study, all participants who were flagged through
Apple Watch's algorithm showed at least mild sleep apnea, which demonstrates
the reliability of this new feature.
A New Frontier in Hearing Health with AirPods Pro 2
Hearing loss is not just a niche problem,
but rather affects 1.5 billion people globally. That's why Apple has developed
the world's first all-in-one hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2. This
suite of features covers the three Ps: Prevention, Awareness, and Assistance
for those with hearing difficulties.
Preventing Hearing Loss
Millions of people are exposed daily to
loud environments-be it traveling in public transport, attending concerts, or
working with noisy equipment-that could potentially cause hearing damage with
time. AirPods Pro 2 introduces a new feature called Hearing Protection that
automatically reduces loud noise in real-time to help protect hearing without
sacrificing audio quality. Powered by Apple's H2 chip, it constantly adapts to
the user's environment to keep his listening safe and enjoyable.
Clinical Grade Hearing Test
Most people simply won't notice that they
are slowly losing their hearing. As it happens very gradually. So, to keep up
with the users' hearing condition, Apple has introduced a clinical-grade
Hearing Test that can be completed in the comfort of the users' home. This
test, using AirPods Pro with a compatible iPhone or iPad, analyzes your hearing
through an interactive experience and then provides, in an easy-to-read
audiogram, the degree of hearing loss in each ear. Results are securely stored
in the Health app, which easily allows one to share with healthcare providers
for further evaluation.
Revolutionary Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid
But maybe most revolutionary of all is
the over-the-counter Hearing Aid baked into the AirPods Pro 2. If a user
completes the Hearing Test, their custom hearing profile can actually turn the
AirPods Pro into a medical-grade hearing aid. It's a software solution designed
for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, making real-time changes to
elevate conversations and ambient sounds around a user. The AirPods Pro
automatically produces the best sound for phone calls, music, and videos by applying
th is hearing profile to all the audio
content without one needing to make any tweak in settings.
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| Image: Apple |
An Integrated Approach towards Health and Wellbeing:
Apple cares for the health of its users
even beyond sleep and hearing. Starting to develop features in all its devices
for health purposes, from noise-level monitoring on Apple Watch to heart rate
tracking, Apple ensures users have at their fingertips what they need to live
healthier lives.
“At Apple, we believe that technology can
help you live a healthier life, and we’re excited to enable incredible new
health capabilities for serious conditions that affect billions of people around
the world, while continuing to keep user data private,” said Sumbul Desai,
M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health. “With Apple Watch, we continue to offer
our users the ability to uncover important health conditions with new sleep
apnea notifications. And on AirPods Pro, powerful features put users’ hearing
health front and center, bringing new ways to help test for and receive
assistance for hearing loss.”
Looking Ahead: Apple's Role in Future Health Innovation
These new health features from Apple are
only the beginning of its continued work to help users take an active role in
their health. It's also breaking down barriers to health care by making
life-saving technology more accessible and affordable than ever. As more of
these features receive FDA clearance, that's where Apple is likely to play an even
greater role in the future of digital health.
With Apple designed with privacy in mind,
all personal health data is encrypted and stored securely. No wonder users can
be so carefree. And as it keeps innovating, one thing can be said for sure: the
company is not building technology-it's building a healthier world.
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